America's next great author semifinalist

       Brian Donnell James is the 2020 "United Nations" FAO World Food Day Poetry First Prize Winner, for his poem” Testimony” which was read before a virtual audience of nearly a thousand attendants and broadcast worldwide. He is the 2024 winner of the Carolina Literary Prize for Poetry, 2024 winner of the Langston Hughes award, 2023 The Poetry Society of Virginia, 2020 National Poetry Writing Month winner, amongst several other honors and recognitions. 

       As a semi-finalist he was recently filmed for "America's Next Great Author" (National TV Pilot) produced by Emmy Award/ New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander, New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds, celebrated author Victoria Christopher Murray, and "The Book Doctors" David Henry Sterry and Arielle Eckstut. He is a current visiting lecturer in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. Old Dominion University has listed his work in the papers of their literary database of fine poetry. His video performances and text has been discussed and analyzed as a part of an honors colloquium sponsored by Dr. Hiram Larew at Oregon State University as well as the University of Georgia. His work has also been published in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and throughout the United States in several poetry anthologies, journals, and magazines of merit such as Poet and Writers and The Poetry Society of London.

       He is a board member of Write by The Rails, and of Spilled Ink Virginia. He has also served as a poet fellow for the Martha’s Vineyard Creative Writing Institute and has served as a poetry judge for Penguin Random House, The Poetry Society of Virginia, The Maryland Library System, We Need Diverse Books, The Golden Nib, The Virginia Writers Club, The Gaithersburg Book Festival, and Poetically Correct (Washington D.C.). He has spoken at several universities including George Mason University, Penn State University, Howard University, Montana State University, The New School University (Manhattan NYC), Baltimore City College, Northern Virginia College, among many others.   He has been a featured speaker at the Hunger Free Communities Summit and the Global Learning in Agriculture Conference to combat food insecurity and fundraising charity events for the Covenant House, Feeding America, and Fighting Pretty (cancer support).

     Brian, who suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) a degenerative nerve disease since birth  has also spoken as an advocate for children's welfare on a wide spectrum  including subjects ranging from adoption, special needs and autism, to teenage homelessness. He recently was a featured poet as guest of Global Lighthouse Studios and Young Changemakers International to benefit a children's refugee camp in Kakuma Kenya where he read his poem "Ayansha" about a teenage friend dealing with the Covid-19 virus around her in India.  As a guest commentator for 96.1 Jamz in Tallahassee Florida and WCFB Star 94.5 in Orlando Florida he  has received numerous certifications and recognitions from organizations including The American Red Cross, Washington DC Family and Child Service Agency, The Alliance to End Hunger, Capital Area Food Bank, Poetry X Hunger, The City of Alexandria, Virginia and the Elks Club of Alexandria, Virginia among other fine organizations.

“Simply I write because poetry connects the human spirit, it unites us all. Poetic words move us

to create action, to sooth and help others, and to prayerfully cleanse the stain that worldwide

hunger has upon all of our souls.”

Brian Donnell James, “2020 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Poetry Winner”

  As stated above I write to connect with others, I want to learn about you and your experiences and perhaps share a little about me. In this way we can eliminate racism, classism, and other forms of discrimination. This mission is dear to my heart and will always be.  I want you to “feel" my writing when reading.  I want to move you, make you laugh, and even make you cry in the knowledge that the human spirit resides within us all and we simply must do better. We must treat each other kinder. You will find poems of inspiration, love, life, death, and a little sarcastic humor. You will find that in both my  poems and my other literary art that I try to be "Elegantly simple, as plain and as beautiful as I can muster", When reading I want the reader to feel as if we are having a pleasant conversation. I want you to feel comfortable, and inspired. I was taught in life you must look for angels, and when there are none to be seen then you become an angel for someone else.